Indy 500 Blackout Will Remain for Sunday's Race

posted by Schultz -
May 22, 2019

The chugging of the milk. Back Home Again in Indiana. The balloons. The flyover.

...and the local TV blackout.

Some Indianapolis 500 traditions withstand the test of time, and it looks like the tradition of watching the race on tape delay for folks in the Circle City will continue. The Indy 500 blackout will remain intact for Sunday:

The only exception to the blackout rule in recent years has been 2016, the historic 100th running of the race, where an estimated crowd of 350,000+ people were there to witness the race. Speedway president Doug Boles told us on the show last week that they completely sold out of general admission tickets, meaning they unofficially declared it a "sellout" hence there was no reason for a blackout.

While I get the blackout from the IMS standpoint, I do feel for fans who are unable to attend the race - not by choice, but by financial, physical, or mental limitations. My late uncle was a big race fan, however his anxiety issues made it impossible for him to attend the race in-person. With the amount of walking attending the Indianapolis 500 requires, mobility issues would also be something that would be tough to overcome. Folks like this have to either turn to the radio coverage or view it by other means (internet stream, YouTube TV, etc.).

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